America Needs to Face the Past on Slavery

There are always those that tell African-Americans who want to discuss the legacy of slavery to "get responsibility" and that "it is a thing of the past". But, when one petulantly tells non-white people to do this, they are missing the boat entirely. What they don't see is that the effects of slavery still occur on a daily basis--right down to how different races treat each other on a daily basis.

They don't see that slavery was built upon the "privileges" of skin color that still exist today. They don't see the unearned benefits that have resulted from the notion of "superiority" that allows certain access to some while others get left behind. The naysayers do not even notice that when they tell a non-white person to "take responsbility", that they are never clear on what needs to be done. Nor, it is not noticed that the people of color to whom this is addressed to have "taken responsibility" in their own lives and work very hard to make themselves a productive member in society.

All in all, this is done as a way of "shutting up the opposition". By using catchphrases that demean the experiences and words of the non-white people, it is as if the very essence of legacies that have marked our nation do not matter. The sad part of this is that when people do not want to have an honest talk about slavery, they are perpetuating what other people in the dominant culture in the past has done. In essence, they are continuing the same vicious cycle of burying one's head in the sand hoping that it will go away.

Slavery can not be "dealt with" by just "getting over it". As an descendant of slaves who have had to experience the brutal effects at the hands of their overseers, fellow citizens and Masters, their experiences and lives are a part of my family heritage. I can't sweep their life stories and contributions to America under the rug like those who would say that other non-white people "ought to". In fact, if I did try to take their advice and "sweep it under the rug", that would be just as good as ignoring that they exist as a part of my lineage. It would also mean that I would have been complicit in dehumanizing them as those who want others to "take responsibility" would have done.

In that light, it is highly important that slavery is dealt with honestly instead of resorting to the words of political pundits who have no identification with the life experiences belonging to the decendant of slaves. As long as they continue to spread their issues of lack of identification with the experiences of non-white people to their audiences, we will continue to have the problems with discussing race as we do today. Or else, if race is to be discussed in terms of slavery, it would have to be done on their terms and no one else's.

Maybe we should take responsibility in trying to have a true discussion on the repercussions of slavery. For those who favor responsibility, they have to take it among themselves to not shy away from the brutality of the system and address the decendents of slaves honestly by explaining themselves when they say such denigrating terms as "crying about race" or "getting over it". What they don't understand is that not everyone operates in the same way they do when sweeping the contributions and histories of their ancestors under the rug and stoically going on.

Some of us value our families more than others. And for those of us who truly want to give a life-affirming value to our relatives who have worked and lived under extreme circumstances, we owe it to them to tell their stories and to work with others to make a society that understands each other historically, socially and economically. This is especially the case when their legacies still haunt and affect us still. It's not so much about "getting over it". It is about being clear about how they have shaped American history and life. Furthermore, we must use their legacy to postively change how we relate with others in the future.